Unknowingly, the group stage of the U20 World Cup has reached the final round, and the suspense about the right to qualify will be revealed after this round. As a traditional powerhouse in Asian football, the Japanese team was highly expected by many fans before the match, but their performance was hardly satisfactory!
In the FIFA rankings, Japan ranks 20th, the highest in Asia, as long as the tournament is held in Asia, then Japan is deservedly the biggest favorite to win the title. However, in the U20 Asian Cup at the beginning of this year, Japan lost to Iraq on penalties in the semifinals, and stopped the final four. Although they failed to win the championship, the Japanese team still managed to get a ticket to the U20 World Cup, and the supporters of the Japanese team hope that they can make a new breakthrough in the U20 World Cup!
Facing African powerhouse Senegal in the first round of the group stage, Japan won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Matsuki in the opening 15th minute. At that time, countless fans believed that the Japanese team would easily break through from the group stage and get a ticket to the round of 16. But no one expected that the first round of the game was already the highest moment of the Japanese team. Facing Colombia in the second round, Japan was reversed by their opponents with the first goal and lost 1-2. However, as long as they do not lose to Israel, the weakest team in the group, the Japanese team can still make the cut, and Israel must win in order to control its own destiny.
Due to the superiority of strength, in this life-and-death battle, the Japanese team firmly controlled the rhythm of the game. Before half-time, Matsuki took advantage of a set-piece opportunity and Matsuki Kyusao assisted teammate Kazusai Sakamoto with a header from inside the box to break the deadlock in three consecutive games and take a 1-0 lead. The Israeli team, not to be left behind, launched a crazy counterattack, but in the 68th minute, the young midfielder Benjamin, who came off the bench in Israel, was sent off for two consecutive red cards in a short period of time, the score was behind, and there was one less man on the field, and almost all fans at that time believed that the Japanese team would win easily and reach the knockout round! However, a miracle was born inadvertently.
In the 77th minute, Roy received a pass from his teammate and scored a close-range header to make it 1-1! In the first minute of injury time, Israel played a delicate team cooperation, Turgeman made the ball with his heel to his teammates, and the following Sinier calmly poked the goal to help Israel successfully reverse the score to 2-1! With little time left in the game, Japan did not score in the final moments, and Israel eventually upset Japan 2-1 to secure a ticket to the round of 16 after finishing second in the group.
This U20 World Cup is the first time that the Israeli team has participated in an international competition, and it can make its debut in the knockout round, which is already a miracle for this small country with a population of only 9.36 million. I wonder how far this dark horse can go?